Table and like article



E. H. SHELDON.

TABLE AND LIKE ARTICLE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 5, 1920.

1,408,226, Patented Feb. 28, 1922.

I ZZI W/ Ali f l'. J2 30 :Lel

yUNITED lSTATES PATENT OFFICE..

EDGAR H. SHELDON, OF MUSKEGON, MICHIGAN.

TABLE AND LIKE ARTICLE.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, EDGAR H. SHELDON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Muskegon, in the county of Muskegon and State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Tables andv ticularly to provide a practical and effective construction of top fork wooden tables and the like.

Another object of the inventionis to provide a reenforcing construction for wooden table tops which will close any cracks that may occur on account of shrinkage of the wood, and will also secure suflicient flexibility to compensate for any expansion and con traction that may occur in the table top.

Jfinother object of the invention is to secure simplicity of operation and cheapness of construction.

Other objects of the invention will appear and be pointed out hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a plan view of a portion of a top for wooden tables having a reenforcing construction embodying my present invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross section taken on line 2 -2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view of a detail of construction.

Referring to the drawings I show a table having a body portion 1 and a top 2. The top 2 is composed of a plurality of pieces or strips ofpmaterial 3 3 and 4 4, the strips 3 3 being at the opposite ends of the top and the strips 4 4 between the same.

The formiof table may of course be varied. The form shown is substantially rectangular, the strips 3 3 vand 4 4 being arranged crosswise and side by Side.

A reenforcing member preferably in the form of a bolt or rod is arranged crosswise of the strips 3 3- and 4 4 and passed through apertures in the same so as to form a continuous reenforcing member passing through all of the intermediate strips 4 4 and terminating at the end strips 3 3. At one end of the bolt or red 5 is a head 6 and rotation of the latter.

Specification of Letters'latent. Patented Feb 28 1922.

Application filed March 5, 1920.

Serial No. 363,430.

the other end is screw threaded as at 7 and provided with a nut 8. Preferably at ,each end of the member 5 there are provided resilient compensating devices 1 0-10 preferably in the form of steel washers, one being interposed between the head 6 and that portion of the strip 3 against which the head 6 acts and the other washer 10 being interposed between the nut 8 and the portion of the other strip 3. on which said nut acts. These steel washers 10 10 are preferably made of spring steel and of a more or less bow-shape, as shown in Fig..V 1, so thaty when they nut 8 is tightenedv and said nut and the head 6 draw up said washers 10 1`O,- the same will yield somewhat but will offer su'liicient resistance to insure the strips 3 3 yand 4 4beingl drawn tightlytogether so as to kmake close joints between them. The upper edges of the washers are preferably arcuate, as shown inV Figure 3. There is also suiit cient springiness or resiliency in said members 10 1O to push or draw said strips 3 3 and 4 4 together incase there should be any contraction on the part of any one of said strips or in case a crack should open in any one of the same, and said members 10 10 also have sufficient resiliency to permit sufficient expansion on the part of the members 3 3 and 4 4 to compensate for any enlargement or expansion which might take place due to a moist atmosphere or for other reasons. Thus a tight and even table top without cracks or crevices either Vbetween the constituent members or in any one of the same is provided and assured, and at the same time enlargement or expansion of the members composing the top or any one of them is also provided for.

The head 6 of the member 5 and the nut 8 at the other end of the same and the washers or members 1.0 10 are preferably arranged in recesses or apertures 11 and 12, respectively, formed in the under side of the end members 3 3. These recesses have arcuate walls conforming to the shape of the upper edges of the washers, thus preventing This permits ready access to thesaid members 10 10 and to the nut 8 for tightening the latter. For tightening purposes a wrench 13 is preferably provided and this'may be used by inserting it into the aperture 12 from underneath.

The cross apertures 14 in the members 3 extend only to the apertures 11 and 12, leav members 3 extends to the under face thereof, f

thereby making` the recess ll vsubstantially T-shaped so that the head end ot' the bolt may be positioned therein.

The member 5 may be placed in position by pushing it through in the cross apertures or holes let providedin the members 5-3 and 4-4 and then the members 10-1O may be adjusted against the inner Walls oit the recesses 1l and l2, respectively, and then the nut 8 tightened suiciently to subject the .members lO-lO to the proper tension.

The Washersprovide bearing surfaces for the bolt head andnutas large as the head and nut themselves, and thus substantial and even heavy strains may be eiectively taken. The nut may be readily adjusted so as to vary the pressure on the top members f-i, et as desired. This pressure sometimes has to be very considerable in order to close cracks in said membersgbut the bolt or rod and Washers sustain such pressure, and the cracks are effectively closed and held closed. Y v

Adjustment ol. the nut may take place at any time, either before thetable. has been delivered to the user or afterward.I It is not necessary to remove any part-` of the table to get access to the nut, nor is the nut, or in fact any part of the reenforcing arrangement,

visible when looking at the table inthe ordinary manner.

The table top may be easily disassembled by unscrewing the bolt S and separat-ing the members 3 3 and 4 4 from one another.

It will be understood that changes and modifications may be made Without departing from the spirit of the invention.

That I claim is:

A table provided With a top composed ot v t having an arcuate edge engaging the arcuate top Walls of said Vertical recesses.

In Witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this V26th day of January, A.. D. 1920.

EDGAR H. A'sisiELDon 

